Team reveal: 2024 AFL SuperCoach winner Joven May reveals his team ahead of Round 1
Joven May won SuperCoach in 2024 off the back of a simple trick – and he’s backing it in to take him to glory this season, including a huge ruck call. See who he has picked ahead.
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Value. That’s what drove Joven May to $50,000 worth of SuperCoach glory in 2024 and what he hopes will drive him to a repeat in 2025.
The 2024 champ has no players over $600k in his starting side for this season, but acknowledges there’s plenty of water to go before Round 1 lockout next Thursday.
“Take my team with a grain of salt at the moment because it’s going to change through Round 0 for sure and once teams release on Round 1 night I’ll be making changes, team selection never goes the way you think it will,” he said.
However, a week out from SuperCoach lockout Nick Daicos, Lachie Neale, Harry Sheezel, Max Gawn and Tristain Xerri are all absent from his starting side, replaced by Andrew Brayshaw, Izak Rankine, Tom De Koning, Christian Petracca and Matthew Flynn.
Flynn at the second ruck spot is a bold choice, but he’s been on the train since the team picker opened.
“I had Flynn at the start of the pre-season and the thing I really wanted to know was if he was going to be the No. 1 ruck for West Coast, that’s all I think he really needs,” May said.
“His body is the issue, he’s never really played more than 15 games in a season, but I don’t need him to play the whole season but he’s a stepping stone.
“If Flynn can me enough money I boost up to Xerri in Round 7 or something.”
Despite a super draft last November, May isn’t overly confident in this rookie crop to start the SuperCoach season, with just four on-field rookies.
“The midfield is a place you can play a lot of rookies this year, I’ve only got one in defence and none in the forward line, so the majority of my rookies are in the midfield so even an Ashcroft on my bench of O’Driscoll has been in and out,” he said.
“We were looking at it all pre-season thinking the rookies were going to be good in the midfield and even though we’ve had Jagga get injured and Harvey Langford didn’t look as good on the weekend but we’ve got a lot of options there.”
He said if you were going plenty of rookies, the more expensive midfield rookies were the way to go.
“It’s no good having a guy who plays one or two games and is then a red dot for you. I’d rather pay up for a guy who has an extended run and makes some money for your team, even if they’re a slow burn,” he said.
As for the forward line, May said he doesn’t have “a great deal of confidence” in many outside of Bulldog Sam Davidson – with Connor Stone, Isaac Kako and even Elijah Hewett after he was managed from West Coast’s pre-season game not filling him with joy.
His good mate and Suns draftee Cooper Bell – the team’s namesake – is also on the bench in the forward line.
But that leaves four players priced between $250k and $400k – the popular trio of Jack Macrae, Bailey Smith, and Caleb Daniel, plus Bulldog Ryley Sanders and Hugo Garcia in the flex spot.
“I feel Bevo has to play Sanders in the midfield with injuries,” May said, adding flexibility in the flex spot was key.
“I like having a bit of midfield/forward flexibility through the flex to allow you to shuffle things around, especially during the byes when you’ve got guys missing and you can get your best 18 players on the field.”
Connor Rozee has been in his side for months, but his M1 – his top dog in the midfield – is a smoky to perform above his price.
“I’ve liked Andy Brayshaw, he’s my highest priced midfielder and I think he can push to 110 or 115 and is likely second in line for the tag behind Serong,” he said.
Originally published as Team reveal: 2024 AFL SuperCoach winner Joven May reveals his team ahead of Round 1
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